Frequently, people use containers to store, protect, manipulate, and transport various items, such as paint, water, sand, or any of a wide variety of other things and materials. To make these containers easier to use, handles are commonly provided, typically pivotably attached to the upper portion of opposed sidewalls of the container. These handles provide a relatively easy means for carrying the container as well as an easy method for pivoting the handle away from the opening of the container, to permit (for example) stacking of the container or access to the interior of the container. Such handles typically can pivot through a wide arc, from "upright" (e.g., above the container) to "down" against either side of the container. These handles also permit users to more readily hold and pivot the container to empty the contents from the container, or to scoop water, sand, or similar materials into the container.
Despite these positive attributes, current handles still lack several characteristics that provide increased comfort, economy, security, and ease of use to the user. One early example of such a handle is a metal bail "secured" to holes on the side of a bucket by bending the ends of the bail through and around those holes (for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 308,343). Not only are such metal handles relatively difficult to assemble onto containers (metal that is sufficiently stiff to carry loads in the bucket are correspondingly difficult to bend into engagement with the holes), but the combination of such a metal handle on a plastic container or bucket can complicate recycling efforts as the container is being discarded after use. In addition, metal handles remain at least somewhat susceptible to damage from corrosion, although the risk of such damage can be reduced by selecting a normally more expensive metal.
Plastic bails overcome some of the shortcomings of metal bails, but typically include their own limitations. Among other things, they typically consist only of the bail element; the inventors are not aware of rotatable handgrips ever being provided on plastic handles. This limits their usefulness or at least their comfort during use, especially where repeated lifting and transporting of containers is required (e.g. without a rotatable handgrip, the handle can pinch and bind the user's hand when attempting to carry, fill, or empty a container). Moreover, these plastic bails are typically extremely flexible and thus they may not be useful for carrying heavy loads or large containers (that flexibility focuses the heavy loads too greatly on the center portion of the user's hand). Furthermore, even plastic bails that might be reinforced with stiffening elements (so as to not be too "flimsy") still do not provide a separate or rotatable handgrip.